Where does “Malta” come from?
Malta (Tagalog) comes from Spanish Malta, from English MALT, from Middle English malt, from Old English mealt, from Proto-West Germanic *malt, from Proto-Germanic maltą, from Proto-Indo-European meld-, from Proto-Indo-European mel- — to strengthen; to bind; to change, exchange.
Ancestry of “Malta”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spanish | Malta | malt |
| 2 | English | MALT | Initialism of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue |
| 3 | Middle English | malt | malt malted grain |
| 4 | Old English | mealt | malt |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | *malt | malt |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | maltą | malt |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | meld- | to beat, crush, grind |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | mel- | soft; tender; weak; to deceive; to rub |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | mey- | to strengthen; to bind; to change, exchange |